Out of the Past Onto the Future
by Mrs Capt Jack Sparrows
Summary: Oneshot The missing scene after Mick confesses to Beth that he is a vampire... Will she run? Will she stay? Will she help him? Please Read and Review! Spoilers: 1x02


_A/N: This is my first Moonlight fanfic and it's sort of my answer to what happened after Mick confesses that he is a vampire to Beth. They didn't really show what happened after Mick told Beth he was a vampire… it just went straight to the credits. lol. I'd like to give a big shout-out and thanks to my beta, 12 Withering Roses. She made me sound coherent and smoothed out the kinks. So I mucho, mucho thank-you to my loverly beta! Go check out her stories if you haven't already! She's awesome!_

_Spoilers: 1x02 Out of the Past_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to Joel Silver and Warner Brothers… (And CBS, for now…) If I owned Moonlight, we would certainly be having a second season! … And I'd be having lots of fun with Mick and Josef… hehehehe…_

* * *

**Out of the Past… Onto the Future**

**Beth was still shocked. She had shot a man. She knew she'd had no choice, and that Lee Jay was a murderer. He'd threatened to kill Julia, and when Mick had gone in to save her, she was terrified Mick wouldn't come out alive. Then she saw Julia run out of the building without Mick, and she instantly asked Julia where Mick was. Julia told her that Mick had been shot by Lee Jay, and that they were both still inside the building. Beth took Mick's gun and crept into the building.**

**She saw Lee Jay standing over a wounded Mick, with a blowtorch of some kind, threatening to burn him. Beth had flashes of her kidnapping spring to mind, remembering the scary lady against the window, flames surrounding her. Mick's gasps snapped her out of her flashback and shot the gun at Lee Jay, hitting him in the neck. Lee Jay had died quickly, falling to the ground. **

**The police showed up in minutes, and Beth left to go get help for Mick. When she looked back over her shoulder before she exited the building, however, Mick was gone. She left, passing Julia and Lt. Carl. She over heard Lt. Carl asking Julia if Mick had shot Lee Jay. Beth stopped and looked at him. She blurted an admission to shooting Lee Jay, then continued walking past, despite Lt. Carl's protests, looking for Josh. She didn't have to look long before they found each other. Josh was concerned about Beth, but she quickly assured him that she was fine. She noted that Mick's car was still at the scene, which meant he must have left on foot. She told Josh that she was going to drive Mick's car back to his apartment, make sure he was okay then be home afterwards. Josh nodded silently and Beth went back to Mick's car.**

**She got into the driver's seat and after adjusting it to her height, she started the car and took off for Mick's apartment.**

**Meanwhile, Mick had used as much speed as he could muster to leave the scene. Vampires and hospitals didn't mix well. He stopped by to see Guillermo to get an emergency supply of blood before going home. He kept the packages of blood hidden beneath his coat as he made his way to his apartment. He used as much of his vamp speed as he could without over exerting himself and passing out. Soon he made it inside his building and got in the elevator. He leaned against the wall of the elevator after he pushed the button for his floor. As the elevator climbed, he took out his key fob, having it ready in his hand to open the door. What seemed like forever, the doors finally opened and Mick stumbled out into the hallway, falling against the opposite wall. He stumbled the rest of the way to his door, leaning against the frame for support. He pushed the button to unlock his door and disarm his security system then stumbled inside, falling against the coffee table he had set up behind his couch. He pushed the table decorations aside and dumped the IV packets of blood on the table. He desperately picked one up and fumbled with the cap until it came off the IV tube, the vampire demanding to be fed so he could heal. Mick put the tube in his mouth and sucked on it as he raised the bag and squeezed to get the blood down his throat as quickly as possible. Mick sucked the blood down as if he was starved. All he wanted to do was feed his inner monster, call Josef for help, and get the silver buckshot out of his body. Then he would take a long nap in his freezer, trying to forget the last few days. He slowed a little, so as not to choke when he heard footsteps. **

**Beth had parked the car and rode the elevator up to Mick's floor. When she got off the elevator, she could see Mick's door was unusually wide open. Cautiously, she walked down the hall and stopped at his doorway. With his back to her, she saw Mick kneeling against a coffee table, leaning his upper body against it for support.**

"**Mick… You ran off again. One second you were there, then you were… gone…" Beth said, hurt that he kept running away from her. **

**Mick knew it was Beth yet when she spoke he still shuttered with surprise. He stopped feeding and hovered protectively over the packages of blood, hoping to keep them hidden from her. He hoped he could hide it from her but if he didn't continue feeding soon, he'd be in worse shape.**

"**Are… are you okay?" Beth asked, worried, as she noticed Mick's change in demeanor, his breathing was labored and his body shook with each breath. Mick took in a few deep but shaky breaths.**

"**Please, leave…" He begged, pain evident in his voice though he tried to hide it.**

"**Not without answers." Beth said, as she entered the room and crossed over to get a better look at Mick's condition.**

**Mick quickly shifted his body away from her, moving the packages of blood to the floor, out of sight with his movement. He held the one in his hand away from him, not wanting the temptation to drink from it in her presence. If she would just leave, he could feed, call Josef and get the silver out of his back. Then he could think of a story to tell Beth about his current state.**

"**I keep dreaming about you… Why?" Beth pressed, as she waked back around to try and get a look at his face. Mick shifted again to hide his face and the blood.**

"**Please… Don't look at me." Mick pleaded, hoping she would take mercy and leave. Beth, however, moved again, looking at his shaking profile. Mick was sitting on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest, his hair sweaty and sticking to his forehead, hanging in wet curls. Blood covered his chin, stained from his sloppy eating and from Beth startling him. His body was shaking and his breathing was short and labored, the package of blood held away from him in shame.**

"**Oh my God." Beth whispered, bringing a hand to her chest.**

**Mick knew his eyes were glazed over in a vampiric white wash and his fangs were extended. He could only imagine how much worse he looked. He knew he looked like a monster, a wounded monster but a monster nonetheless. He looked towards her to see her reaction to his appearance, his feelings of shame increasing when he heard her gasp in what Mick could only interpret as horror as she raised her hand to her mouth.**

"**What are you?" She asked, still shocked by his appearance.**

"**I'm a vampire." He admitted, hanging his head in shame, looking away from her after a moment.**

"**That… That's what Lee Jay meant? When he said he knew what you were? He knew you were a vampire?" Beth pieced together quickly, realizing the meaning of the odd statement.**

"**Yes. He knew."**

"**Mick… Are you okay?" Beth asked again.**

"**No. He shot me with silver buckshot." Mick answered honestly, "It's like poison for vampires." He added.**

**Beth shook her head in understanding. She crossed over to the door, shutting and locking it before returning to Mick's side. She helped him stand and carefully peeled off his bloodstained, ruined coat. She helped him walk over to the couch and sit down before walking back and collecting the other packages of blood. Mick took the opportunity to finish off the rest of the blood in the package he still held in his hand. Beth sat down next to him and handed him a new package after removing the cap from the IV tube. She took the empty package from him and threw it away in the kitchen garbage bin. She brought it back over with her so she wouldn't have to get up and down so many times.**

"**So, I'm guessing you need the buckshot removed." Beth said. It was stated more than asked.**

"**Yes. Use my phone. Call Josef Kostan. Tell him it's an emergency… and he'll need to bring his first aid kit for removing bullets." Mick said between gulps.**

"**Okay." Beth said, taking his phone out of his coat pocket, "Is he… is he a vampire too?" Beth asked as she scrolled through the names in Mick's contacts, "Josef Kostan, you said?"**

"**Yeah, him." Mick confirmed, "And yes, he's a vampire too. A very paranoid one and my best friend of 50 years."**

"**Wow… 50 years?" Beth said, looking at Mick curiously as she pushed the call button.**

"_**Mick, you old Bastard. I was wondering when you'd call me."**_** Josef answered.**

"**Josef? Mick asked me to call you."**

"_**Who is this?"**_

"**Beth Turner. It's an emergency. I'm here with Mick at his apartment. He told me to call you with his phone. He said that you needed to come here now and bring your first aid kit for removing bullets. He was shot with silver buckshot… and it's still in him." Beth said quickly.**

"_**Okay, Miss Turner. I'm on my way. You know, uh… you can go; I'll be there soon. He's in good hands with me."**_** Josef said, as he got the first aid kit and a couple of bottles of freshly donated blood from his freshies. He was worried she would learn their secret if she stayed any longer. He got in his car and drove as quickly as he could to Mick's apartment.**

"**No. I'm staying here. You'll need help." Beth insisted.**

"_**Put Mick on the phone."**_** Josef demanded.**

"**He can't talk right now. He's… um… eating." Beth said, unsure of the right way to word it.**

"_**Are you in the same room as Mick?"**_

"**Yes. I'm sitting next to him."**

"_**Shit."**_** Josef cursed. He continued to drive, increasing his speed. After a long silence, Josef finally spoke again,**_** " I'm here. I'm pulling into the parking lot now."**_** He said, before he hung up and grabbed the first aid kit and bottles of blood. If Beth was next to Mick while he was feeding on his retail blood, there was a good chance the blonde reporter had put two and two together and realized Mick was a vampire. Josef used his vamp speed to race up the stairs to Mick's floor. He knew he could climb the stairs faster than taking the elevator. Josef opened Mick's door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.**

"**So Miss Turner, you know what we are?" Josef said, breaking the silence, letting his presence known.**

"**Yes. Mick told me you were vampires… although I think I could have figured it out on my own once the shock had gone away." Beth told him.**

"**Feeding on that retail shit again, Mick?" Josef asked, crossing over to them with all the speed of a 400-year-old vampire.**

"**Oh my God… you… but… how…" Beth stuttered.**

"**Vampires are fast… and the older the vampire the faster they become, as well as stronger, among other things." Josef said simply.**

"**Oh." Beth said simply, "So um… Should we remove the buckshot?" she added.**

"**Yes. But first go get two glasses from the kitchen, any glass along the back wall made of stainless steel." Josef instructed as he removed Mick's ruined shirt, "This Lee Jay really did a number on you, didn't he?" He smirked, "I told you… You should have killed him when you had the chance… or, should I say, **_**chances**_**."**

**By the time Josef finished speaking, Beth was back with the two glasses, choosing the largest ones she could find. "Will these do?" Beth asked.**

"**Yes. They'll work fine." Josef said, pouring his freshly donated blood into both glasses. He set the bottle back down and capped it. Picking up one of the glasses, he took a long drink before opening the first aid kit. "This will hurt like a bitch, just so you know." He said to Mick.**

"**Do you want me to hold your hand Mick?" Beth asked, putting her hand in his.**

"**No… I'm afraid I might break your hand if I did. I'm very strong and I'd rather grip into the couch and ruin that than cause you pain." Mick smiled, giving her hand a light squeeze before he let go and gripped the couch cushions. **

"**What can I do to help?" Beth asked.**

"**Help keep his shoulders still… although I doubt you can." Josef instructed.**

"**If you think I'm so incapable, why not you hold his shoulders still and I dig the bullets out of him?" Beth suggested.**

"**Have you ever dug bullets out of a vampire before?" Josef retorted.**

"**No… have you?" Beth smirked.**

"**Many times… especially concerning Mick." Josef smirked back.**

"**Oh. Well… fine." Beth positioned herself the best she could to brace Mick for the soon to be onslaught of removing the buckshot.**

**Josef took out a pair of long narrow forceps and a scalpel to reopen the slowly closing wounds. He quickly set to work at removing the silver buckshot, ignoring Mick's screams and growls of pain. Beth held him as still as she could, which was not an easy thing to do since Mick was much stronger than her even in his injured state. **

**After what seemed like eternity to Beth, Josef set down his tools and handed Mick the glass of fresh blood. "Drink up, it's all freshly donated… much better than that retail crap you live off of." Josef smirked. Mick accepted the glass and nearly chugged the contents. He could feel himself begin to heal but knew it would take a few hours in the freezer to feel like himself again.**

**Beth looked over to the amount of silver that was removed from Mick's body and counted at least 20 pieces of buckshot. "That was a lot of silver." Beth commented, "Will you be okay, Mick?" She asked.**

"**Yeah… I just need to drink another glass or two then get some sleep." Mick answered after he finished off the last bit of blood. He held it out to Josef, who poured him a second glass.**

"**Oh… so… um… I have like… a thousand questions running through my head right now…" Beth said, not sure if now was an appropriate time to be asking any questions.**

"**Well, while I help myself to a few more glasses, feel free to ask anything. I'm sure Josef and I can answer as best as possible."**

"**Okay… um… I'm just gonna spit out a few of the obvious questions that I'm sure you're asked all the time… well that is, any human would ask…" Beth said nervously, "So… um… how do you get the blood you need to survive? Is it anything like in the Dracula movies? Do you sleep in a coffin? Will garlic repel you? Will a stake to the heart kill you like in Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Are all vampires soulless demons like portrayed in Buffy? If sunlight touches your skin will you burst into flames or turn to ash? What about crosses and holy water? What, if anything, besides silver, will kill a vampire?"**

"**I think you just covered all the cliché questions…" Josef smirked, "Most vampires, like myself, have willing donors. Because I am a man, I prefer pretty ladies. And before you ask, yes I do drink from their neck… or their wrist… depends on my mood and location." Josef answered, "Mick on the other hand is sort of a brooding, gloomy, I-hate-what-I-am, kind of vampire. He had a traumatic turning and has yet to get over it, even though the rest of us are so over his brooding." Josef scoffed, "He prefers to buy his blood retail from the morgue. I keep trying to turn his tastes back to fresh from the vein but he's stubborn."**

"**What's the difference?"**

"**Everything." Josef said.**

"**Not everything. It's an acquired taste." Mick defended.**

"**One that I do not wish to ever acquire." Josef said indignantly. **

"**Sounds like how people describe caviar or escargot." Beth said, crinkling her nose up, feeling like Josef in comparison to the caviar and escargot, "People always say those are acquired tastes and I, for one, am perfectly fine not acquiring that particular taste. There are just some things you do not need to put into your body." **

"**Not only that, but blood bottled in a hospital or by the Red Cross is not like what I have here." Josef said, looking pointedly at Mick, "They add stuff in to preserve the blood and keep it from coagulating so that it changes its properties just enough to not be healthy for vampire consumption." He told Beth, but mostly for Mick's sake. "The rate at which a vampire heals is directly linked to the source of his food. Not to mention if Mick was on fresh blood, he would be stronger, faster, more energetic…less depressed. To put it in human terms, it is like if you were to eat nothing but fast food and junk food. You'd become fat, lazy, unhealthy, and prone to sickness. Basically what Mick eats is the vampire equivalent to junk food."**

"**Oh… So… you have… women willing to let you sink your fangs into them and drink their blood?" Beth asked for clarification, and to turn the subject away from Mick's dietary habits. She could see Mick was tired of being lectured about his eating habits.**

"**Yes, and they are compensated for their services and to keep their mouths shut about vampires. Our secrecy is what keeps us alive. It's rule number one."**

"**Oh… my lips are sealed." Beth said, hoping to calm Josef's obvious paranoia, "So sleeping arrangements? Do all vampires sleep in a coffin?"**

"**No. We sleep in industrial freezers."**

"**A… a freezer?" Beth asked, confused. "Why?"**

"**Well, it's partly due to the undead factor of being a vampire and our body temperature is much lower than that of a human. Unless we spend about 8-12 hours in a freezer, we can become over heated because of the natural temperature around us. Have you ever noticed how cold Mick is?"**

"**No. I haven't. So… if you sleep in a freezer…I mean, I know that if a human were to be in those conditions, our heartbeat would slow down and possibly stop all together if not removed from said conditions to some place warmer… so does your heart still beat?"**

"**No. We don't have to breathe either. Our lungs still can function; we have to be able to take in enough air to be able to speak and there are some who still breath out of habit. But it is not necessary to live." Josef explained.**

"**Well… I need to go get some sleep. Both of you can stay and talk. Josef can lock up on your way out." Mick said, giving Beth's hand a squeeze, "Thank you…for everything. For not… for not freaking out." Mick smiled.**

"**Of course… it was just a bit shocking is all. It's not every day you meet a vampire." Beth smiled back, trying to make a joke to lighten the mood.**

"**Josef… play nice." Mick smirked, but looked at him seriously to let him know Mick meant what he said despite his tone.**

"**I always do." Josef responded as Mick went upstairs to his room, "Oh, and just so you know, vampires sleep naked." He gave a wicked grin and waggled his eyebrows at her.**

"**Really? Why?" Beth asked, scrunching her nose.**

"**Waking up with clothes stiff as a board on your body is not the nicest way to wake up." Josef laughed.**

"**Makes sense." Beth agreed, "So what about the other vampire old wives' tales? Like, wear garlic and a cross to repel a vampire. Holy Water will burn a vampire… a stake to the heart will kill a vampire… sunlight will make a vampire burst into flames or turn to ash…" Beth asked, "Oh! Can you turn into a bat?" Beth laughed.**

"**No. We don't turn into a bat." Josef laughed, "A ridiculous myth. As is everything else you think you knew about vampires." Josef smirked. "Garlic and crosses have no effect on us and if you throw holy water at us, we get wet and, depending on the vampire, you'll either have pissed him or her off for getting them wet, or they'll laugh at you for thinking that would work." Josef smirked again.**

"**What about a stake?" Beth asked.**

"**Well… it doesn't kill us. It will paralyze us and it hurts like hell… but we will be fine after it's removed and we've downed a couple pints of blood." Josef explained, "Sunlight is not a vampire's friend, but we won't instantly burst into flames or turn to ash. A little bit won't kill us…it's not good, but if we must venture out while it's still daytime, as long as we wear long pants, long shirts, sunglasses… that sort of thing, if we're going from a car to a building, the walk between will be fine. However, if we are in the sun for an extended period of time, say for 30 minutes or more, we start to feel horrible. Even for a short walk from a car to inside a building, it feels uncomfortable… like the start of a sunburn. But the longer we're in the sun, the worse it affects us. And if left out in the desert, we will eventually die. We call it sun sick… imagine heat stroke and dehydration plus the feeling of your skin burning up from the inside out. It's not pleasant, and if you ever come across a sun sick vampire, hope to God he's too weak to attack you." Josef explained, "A wounded vampire will look for the first source of fresh blood he can sink his fangs into, preferably human."**

"**Oh. Um… anything else that could harm a vampire?"**

"**Yes, fire and decapitation. It was very popular to burn a suspected vampire at the stake. Fire will turn us to ash and subsequently dying. It's a slow, painful death, or so I've been told. A more… immediate death is to sever a vampire's head from their body. We can't re-grow a head and we can't live without a brain. A silver bullet to the brain can kill a vampire as well, but it's a slower death than fire. They can still come at you, but they'll be weakened."**

"**What about if you just touch silver jewelry? If it doesn't enter your body?" Beth asked curiously. She had several silver earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings.**

"**It will burn our skin… kind of like an intense allergic reaction."**

"**Oh… Okay. Good to know. Never wear silver jewelry around vampires… well… at least not among vampires I know are friendly." Beth smiled, "Like you and Mick… and any of your vampire friends… so how do you become a vampire? Are vampires a form of demon? Or is it something different? Do vampires have a soul?"**

"**Well, it's uncertain how the first vampire became a vampire or when exactly. Some speculate that it was a virus; others think it was the work of the devil in biblical times." Josef said, "But I think it was most likely some kind of virus or genetic mutation. However, I know it is not demonic. I have a soul… though some might argue that I don't. I didn't sell my soul to the devil nor am I possessed by some demon." Josef smirked, "To become a vampire, your Sire, the one who turns you, will first drain you of nearly all your blood, nearly killing you. Your Sire will bite their own arm and let his or her blood drip down your throat. If all goes well, you'll drink from their arm, then awaken as a vampire… to put it simply." Josef said.**

"**So there has to be a transfer of blood between… Sire and um…" **

"**Sire and Fledgling." Josef supplied, "And yes. It creates a deep bond between Sire and Fledgling and for all intents and purposes the Sire is like the parent. It's the Sire's job to teach their Fledgling the ways of the vampire."**

"**How very Jedi." Beth laughed.**

"**Jedi?" Josef asked, raising an eyebrow.**

"**Yeah, you know? Star Wars? The ways of the Jedi? And every Jedi-in-Training must have a Jedi Master to teach them the ways of the Jedi." Beth laughed.**

"**If you say so." Josef laughed, shaking his head at her analogy. **

"**Well… um… I came here in Mick's car. Do you um… do you think you could give me a ride back to my apartment? I'm sure Josh is worried sick about me."**

"**Who's Josh?"**

"**My boyfriend. He works for the DA's office as the ADA." Beth told him.**

"**Oh. You know you cannot tell him anything about Mick or vampires."**

"**I know." Beth said quickly, seeing that Josef was becoming anxious again. "If Josh asks, I'll just tell him that Mick was just shaken up a bit with his brush with near death and I was still shocked I had shot a man."**

"**Okay. Let's get you home." Josef said, sounding relieved, picking up the fresh blood and putting it in Mick's hidden fridge. He put his first aid kit together and left the sliver buckshot on Mick's coffee table. "You wanna take care of that for me?" Josef asked, nodding towards the silver.**

"**What? Oh yeah. I'll just throw it away." Beth said, pushing all the buckshot into the garbage bin then put the bin back where she had found it. She picked up her purse then walked with Josef to the front door. Josef offered his arm to her out of habit from his old world upbringing. Beth accepted it, wondering how old he must be to still offer his arm to a woman. She was used to men offering their arms at special occasions or events but not any other time.**

"**Josef… I hope you don't mind, but at the risk of sounding insensitive… exactly how old are you?" Beth asked, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I was just curious." She added, as they exited Mick's apartment. **

"**I am 409 years old… 410 in about six months' time." Josef smiled as he locked Mick's door and set the alarm.**

**Beth stood there, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. She quickly did the math, "So you… you were born in…1600?" Beth asked.**

"**Close… 1599." Josef smiled as he guided her to the elevator, pushing the button to call the elevator up to them.**

"**But you look so young…"**

"**I was turned after my 26****th**** birthday." Josef responded, "However old you are when you are turned is the age you will look for the rest of your undead life." He said as the elevator doors opened. They both stepped inside the elevator and took it down to the ground floor. Josef led her to his red Ferrari and opened the door for her.**

"**Nice car." Beth smirked, knowing how much a brand new Ferrari cost, as she sat down in the passenger seat. Josef was in the driver's seat before she could blink. They both buckled up and Josef started the car. **

"**Where to, Mademoiselle?" Josef asked.**

**Beth smirked then gave him directions to her apartment. Josef took off in the direction she told him and Beth just enjoyed the ride in the expensive car. Faster than she thought possible, Josef was parking the car near her building. Beth moved to get out, but Josef beat her to the door and opened it for her, offering a hand up.**

"**You really do have that old world charm still ingrained into you." Beth smiled.**

"**Centuries old habits die hard." Josef answered, offering his arm to her again.**

"**You know… you don't have to walk me to my door." Beth said.**

"**Like I said, old habits die hard." Josef smirked, "Besides…Mick would kill me if I let anything happen to you, even if it is a short walk to your front door." **

"**True." Beth conceded, taking his arm. She led the way to her apartment then unlocked the door. Josh had heard Beth stick the key in the lock and met her at the door as she stepped in. **

**Josh saw she was with a man he had never seen her with before. "Beth… Are you okay? Who is this?"**

"**Josef Kostan. I'm a friend of Mick's." Josef introduced himself, holding his hand out for a handshake. Josh accepted it, surprised how cold the younger man's hand was. "Mick was tired and still in shock over his near death experience and I had heard on the news what happened. Beth was there with Mick, talking about what happened, when I showed up to make sure my friend was okay. Beth had used Mick's car to get to his apartment, so I offered her a ride home since I had a car there and she didn't." Josef told Josh.**

"**Oh… well… thank-you for seeing her home safe." Josh smiled, not knowing what else to say. **

**Beth gave Josef a hug goodbye, which he returned hesitantly. He wasn't much of a hugger. "Thank-You." Beth smiled as they parted. **

"**Not a problem." Josef smirked. Beth shut the door and Josef left to go home and get some sleep in his own freezer.**

"**I was worried when you weren't home when I got here." Josh said.**

"**Oh. I'm sorry. I should have called. I'm just… I guess I'm still kind of shocked that I shot and killed a man. And since Mick was there and I did it to save his life, I wanted to make sure Mick was okay."**

"**Was he okay? Julia said she saw him get shot." Josh asked.**

"**Yeah, he was fine." Beth said, thinking of all the shot taken out of Mick's back and shoulder, "He um… He was wearing Kevlar. He just has a couple of bruises. Nothing that wont heal." Beth lied, smiling sincerely, "He was more worried about me. He told me to stay in the car. When Julia ran out without Mick saying he was shot… Mick had given me a handgun he keeps in his car, so I took it and went inside. When I found them… Lee Jay was standing over Mick with a blowtorch, kicking him in the chest. He was gonna burn Mick to death… So… I… I shot Lee Jay in the neck. I think I hit a major artery because he bled out and died." Beth told Josh as he held her in his arms, "I've never shot a person before… I know it was the only way to save Mick and Lee Jay was a bad man but… It's still gonna take me some time to get over it… or reconcile it… whatever…"**

"**Shhhhh… I know. It's not easy to shoot somebody, even if they deserve it… even if it means saving somebody else." Josh comforted, "The fact that you're in shock, that you're having difficulty with coming to terms with it, means you're not insane… you're not a killer."**

"**I know. Thank-You for what you did to help Mick…for believing him when he said he didn't shoot Lee Jay." Beth smiled.**

"**Your answering machine helped a lot." Josh said, "Come on, I can see you're tired. Let's go to bed." He smiled, guiding her to the bedroom.**

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_Please review! Let me know if you liked it… hopefully I kept everybody in character. Reviews make me very happy so push that little purple button and let me know what you thought!_

_As Always… Take What Ye Can… Give Nothin' Back!_  
_VAMPIRE SOLIDARITY, RAH RAH RAH! (And all that!)_  
_Mrs. Capt. Jack Sparrows_


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